CRUMBLY HAZELNUT AND DARK CHOCOLATE BACI

For the cookies:

❚ ¾ cup (175 mL) oat flour

❚ 2⁄ cup (150 mL) blanched 3 hazelnuts, or whole hazelnuts with skins

❚ 4 tsp (20 mL) arrowroot powder (this helps to bind the ingredients in this gluten-free dough)

❚ Pinch of sea salt flakes ❚ ½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder ❚ Generous ¼ cup (50 mL) light brown muscovado or coconut sugar

❚ Scant ¼ cup (50 mL) unsalted butter, softened

❚ Generous 1/3 cup (75 mL) hazelnut butter

❚ 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the ganache:

❚ 100 g (3 ½ oz) 85 per cent dark chocolate, broken up into small pieces

❚ Generous 1⁄3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream

❚ 1 tbsp (15 mL) Frangelico, or other hazelnut liqueur (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2. Process the oat flour, hazelnuts, arrowroot, salt, baking powder and sugar in a food processor until fine. Add the butter and process to a crumb-like consistency. Add the hazelnut butter and vanilla extract and process until it comes together in a ball. Stop the processor to scrape the mix off the bottom of the bowl if necessary. (It’s quite a dry dough.)

3. Roll into 36 balls, each about 1 tsp in size or 10–12 g (¼–½ oz), and press each one in the palm of your hand, slightly rolling and forming it to make smooth rounds. Place on the prepared baking sheet, go around the edges with your fingers to neaten them up, then press each cookie gently with a fork. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until light golden brown; the surfaces will have just begun to crack. Leave to cool, while you make the ganache.

4. Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring the cream just to the boil, add the liqueur, if using, mix, then pour over the chocolate. Stir with a spatula until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth and emulsified. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ganache and leave to firm up in a cool place for about 30 minutes.

5. Turn half the cookies over so their flat sides are uppermost. When the ganache is set but still soft, using a couple of teaspoons or a pastry bag, divide it over this half of the cookies, spreading it on their flat sides. Place a plain cookie on top to make a sandwich, press a little, then leave to set in a cool place. There will be some ganache left over. It can be used to fill pastry shells for chocolate tarts, to ice cakes, to spoon over ice cream, or even rolled into truffles, coated with cocoa powder. It’s also great used as a chocolate spread for toast (it stores in the fridge for 1 week).

6. These keep well for a good 5 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can also form the cookies and freeze them raw for at least 1 month, then bake them from the freezer, allowing a few extra minutes’ baking time.

Makes: 18 sandwiched cookies